Technical Field
The following description relates to an information processing apparatus, an image forming system including the information processing apparatus and an image forming apparatus, and a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer-readable instructions for controlling the information processing apparatus.
Related Art
An image forming system has been known that includes an information processing apparatus and an image forming apparatus. In the image forming system, the information processing apparatus is configured to, in response to acceptance of an image forming instruction, transmit image data corresponding to the image forming instruction. The image forming apparatus is configured to receive the image data from the information processing apparatus and perform an image forming operation based on the received image data. The information processing apparatus is further configured to generate, as well as the image data, a job ticket containing coded information such as a name of a host device, a user ID, and an authentication password, and be on standby after transmitting only the job ticket to the image forming apparatus. The image forming apparatus includes an operation panel. The image forming apparatus performs user authentication based on whether a user ID input through the operation panel is coincident with the user ID contained in the received job ticket. When the user authentication is successfully performed, the image forming apparatus transmits to the information processing apparatus a request for transmission of the image data. In response to receipt of the request for transmission of the image data, the information processing apparatus transmits the image data to the image forming apparatus. The image forming apparatus performs an image forming operation based on the received image data.
According to the known image forming system, even though a user inputs the image forming instruction at the side of the information processing apparatus, unless the user moves to an installation location where the image forming apparatus is installed and inputs the user ID through the operation panel of the image forming apparatus, the image forming apparatus is not allowed to perform the image forming operation. Therefore, it is possible to achieve a higher level of security, for instance, by preventing an image formed by the image forming apparatus from being seen by a third party before the user reaches the installation location of the image forming apparatus. Further, unless the user authentication based on the job ticket is successfully performed, the image data is not transmitted from the information processing apparatus to the image forming apparatus. Therefore, it is possible to achieve a shorter period of time during which the image data occupies a particular space of a memory of the image forming apparatus, than when the image data is transmitted from the information processing apparatus to the image forming apparatus at a point of time when the information processing apparatus accepts the image forming instruction.